​"Address given to Noah at party" - If Ethel hadn't written that note on the back of this letter, I wouldn't have known about a farewell party for Noah Draper before he left for his WW1 tour with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR).

- old N.G.: The Township of North Gwillimbury - Noah was born and raised on Lot 12 Concession 4, North Gwillimbury

- the West/the great West: as soon as Noah completed school in 1904, his father, David Draper, moved the family to what would become the province of Saskatchewan in 1906

- Noah's wife: Ethel Isabel Nelson, born and raised a couple miles up the road from him (Lot 13 Conc 5). Noah and Ethel are the subjects of this blog's Courtship Letters which span from Feb 1911 to their marriage in Jan 1912

Cliche/Phrasing:

guardian angel - this seems such a modern term, it was a surprise to read it in this address​

Address give to Noah Clement Draper at his Farewell Party, 1916

​Mr Noah Draper. The object of this gathering of yourfriends is to show our appreciation of you asa friend, and as a man who sees his dutyin enlisting in the army of our King to fightour battles and defend our liberties. We saw you growing up into youngman-hood in our midst and go away asso many of our young men have gone, --To thegreat West, where we have followed yourfortunes with interest, and rejoiced atyour success. Though you have found successin the West and no doubt love the countryWe notice that when you were in need of a wifeyou came back home, even to old N.G. wherethe best is to be found. Our best and most sincere wishfor you is that your guardian angel maynever leave you, and that you uphold thebest and noblest traditions of Canadianman-hood for King and home and country,and that you may return to us safe & soundand covered with glory.

_____________________

Genealogy Notes​

All of my research has not turned up a date or place for Noah's farewell party and if it wasn't for Ethel's note on the back of this address, I would wonder if it had been said to Noah before he left for war. However, my search will continue. Any pointing in the right direction would be appreciated.

Recruiting Poster, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve. Courtesy of the George Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 19860131-059

​I found the above poster on the Canadian War Museum (CWM) site while looking into the history of the Canadian Navy. Here's what the CWM says about the above Recruiting Poster, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve:​This poster, with its image of a confident sailor standing alongside a ship's guns, sought volunteers for the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR).Established in May 1914 and situated in communities across the country, the RNCVR was originally intended to provide sailors for Britain's Royal Navy. This poster sought sailors for "service Overseas with the Imperial Royal Navy for the Period of the War." The RNCVR also provided many of the recruits that permitted Canada's wartime navy to expand rapidly from a mere 350 sailors to over 5,000.Source: Canadian War Museum, George Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 19860131-059​

Noah Clement Draper had a young family and a large grain farm to take care of, yet he answered the call. On Nov 25, 1916, after the western harvest was complete, he brought Ethel and the kids to her parents place in Belhaven, Ontario, and signed up for the RNCVR in Toronto.

I'd like to point out that although the recruiting poster says RNCVR, Noah's service certificate below shows that he joined the RCNVR, although written in pencil under his name you can see RNCVR.

​I've researched the history of the RCNVR and RNCVR and all I can say at this point is that there is so much contradictory information out there that I will soon be posting about this subject with the hope of clearing it up.

Did you see the part where they ask if Noah can swim? He says, no. It's hard to imagine a sailor who can't swim, but there you are.

Noah left for the war soon after this family photograph was taken late Nov 1916.

In the coming months, I'll be posting letters, photos, and post cards from Noah and his loved ones as he travels the seas in the First World War. Many of his letters have been cut and pieces take out as the censors clipped out any mention of the location of Noah's ship, but even those letters bring home the reality of what our men went through so we can have our freedom.